French Green Lentils

Name: French green lentils — small, dark, blue-green, mottled lentils (Lens culinaris) with a peppery, slightly mineral flavour, that hold their shape well when cooked. The name is used for lentils of the Puy type grown outside Le Puy, in other regions of France, and elsewhere, while Puy lentils themselves have their own page.

Description

Lentils (Lens culinaris) are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, domesticated in the Near East some 9,000 to 13,000 years ago, and have been a staple pulse of the Mediterranean, Middle East and South Asia since. Canada is now the largest producer, followed by India.

French green lentils, sometimes sold as lentilles vertes, are a smaller, firmer type, prized by cooks for salads and side dishes, since they stay in whole, separate beads rather than collapsing. Their mottled blue-green skin comes from a mineral-rich growing environment, and they are grown especially in France, Italy and Canada.

Main nutrition value

French green lentils are an excellent source of plant protein and fibre, and provide iron, folate, magnesium, potassium and zinc, with little fat.

How best to be consumed

French green lentils keep their shape, and are ideal for salads.

1. Rinse, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes without soaking until just tender but not burst.
2. Dress warm with olive oil, vinegar, mustard and shallots for a classic lentil salad.
3. Serve as a side for sausages, salmon and roast meats, or in soups.
4. Simmer gently rather than boiling hard, to keep them whole.
5. Add salt and acid towards the end.

Overconsumption could cause…

French green lentils are healthy in food amounts when cooked.

1. Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in pulses, particularly if you are not used to eating them, so build up gradually and drink water.
2. Allergic reactions in a small number of people allergic to legumes, and cross-reaction between chickpeas, lentils and peanuts in some.
3. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried pulses, which soaking and thorough cooking reduce.
4. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since pulses contain moderate purines, although plant purines seem to carry less risk than those from meat.

GroupsLentilsLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in potassiumRich in zincFrench

Related foodsPuy LentilsBrown LentilsGreen LentilsYellow LentilsMoong DalMasoor Dal

Wikipedia — Lentil, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil